NCAA Basketball: Zion Williamson and Chris Beard win 2019 AP Awards

NCAA Basketball honors are pouring in, with Duke’s Zion Williamson and Texas Tech’s Chris Beard winning the AP Player and Coach of the Year, respectively.

The 2018-19 NCAA basketball campaign concludes on Monday night with the title tilt, and Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard has a legit shot at claiming the championship. Duke’s sensational freshman forward, Zion Williamson, who electrified the country this season with his agility, athleticism, enthusiasm and scoring prowess, will unfortunately not compete in the Final Four, as his Blue Devils fell in the Elite Eight to Michigan State last Sunday.

Nonetheless, what Williamson accomplished during this term – Beard, too – is nothing short of spectacular. As a result, they have rightfully received the Associated Press Player and Coach of the Year trophies. Williamson, who averaged 22.6 points and 8.9 rebounds for Duke and will likely get selected first overall in this June’s NBA Draft, captured the AP award in a rout, garnering 59 of 64 votes.

Williamson is also on the AP All-America first squad and was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year. Furthermore, he has landed on the Wooden Award All-American team and is one of five finalists for the Wooden Award’s most-outstanding college basketball player honor.

I get that many folks deem the Blue Devils’ performance in March Madness as a disappointment, because Duke earned the NCAA tourney’s No. 1 overall seed. However, Williamson did everything humanly possible to will the Blue Devils to the national semi-finals. The Spartans emerged victorious by one point. Williamson captivated the sport, and there’s no shame in bowing out before the Final Four.

Beard, though, is still dancing. After guiding the Red Raiders to the Elite Eight a stanza ago, he lost six of his top seven scorers. No problem. In 2018-19, Texas Tech, for the inaugural instance in school history, shared the Big 12 regular-season crown, with Kansas State, as the duo snapped Kansas’ 14-year streak.

For this AP award, Beard collected 20 of 64 votes, with ballots submitted prior to the start of the NCAA Tournament. Houston’s Kelvin Sampson finished second, with 13 votes. After March Madness commenced, the Red Raiders, a No. 3 seed in the West Region, absolutely crushed No. 6 seed Buffalo and No. 2 seed Michigan, then Texas Tech snuck by No. 1 seed Gonzaga to advance to Minneapolis, where the Red Raiders will square off against No. 2 seed and East Region conqueror Michigan State on Saturday evening.

In just his third term at Texas Tech, and only his fourth year as a Division I head coach, Beard has led the Red Raiders to an Elite Eight appearance and now the unit’s initial Final Four trip. That’s unbelievable. While Beard remains in the Big Dance, and Williamson doesn’t, what they both achieved in 2018-19 is something for which to feel proud.